Tackling rural health inequalities in Europe: a new policy statement
A new policy statement calls on European governments, policymakers and rural stakeholders to comprehensively address health services as well as the underlying, wider determinants of health in rural areas, such as poverty, education and connectivity.
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The EURIPA Lincoln Statement 2024 advocates for strong cross-sector collaboration, bringing together healthcare professionals, academics, policymakers, social service providers, government departments involved in rural development, and community members. It emphasises the role of rural proofing in ensuring policies address the specific challenges and opportunities of rural settings.
Endorsed at the 13th EURIPA Rural Health Forum of 20-22 June 2024, the statement outlines a set of recommendations to strengthen rural health and social care:
- Empower communities to co-create healthier futures;
- Develop and invest in undergraduate and postgraduate training for rural healthcare workers;
- Incentivise the current rural health and care workforce to improve recruitment and retention;
- Address the workload of the rural health workforce;
- Promote integration and collaborate across sectors;
- Address rural health data gaps;
- Apply ‘rural proofing for health’ to other policies and actions.
Discover the latest Rural Pact resources on the topic of health and care in rural areas.